


Strong

by asexualjuliet



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: (it’s not real though), Because I love unnecessarily cramming songs into my fics, Gen, I just feel so bad for Jonathan Byers okay, mentioned death, should I stay or should I go, vague description of a panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 12:56:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20582873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asexualjuliet/pseuds/asexualjuliet
Summary: Jonathan is not strong. He puts on a brave face for his mom, for Will. He tries his best.But he is not strong.





	Strong

**Author's Note:**

> I feel so incredibly bad for Jonathan Byers in season one, so here.

Jonathan Byers is not strong. 

He’s the kid who cried for half an hour when his dad made him shoot a bunny, who locked himself in his room and let salty tears drip down his cheeks. 

He’s the kid who stays at home taking photographs and listening to music instead of going to the Homecoming dance. 

He’s the kid who gets picked last for gym class every time, who stands at the back of the room in a too-big blue shirt wishing the earth would just swallow him up. 

But now it’s like the Earth has swallowed his brother up, and he has to be strong. 

He makes breakfast. He makes lunch. He makes dinner and he asks his mother to please, please eat it because _ Mom, you can’t just sit by the phone and cry. _

He makes his way through school, keeping his head down and not asking questions. He doesn’t talk to anyone, barely even saying anything to Nancy Wheeler when she approaches him. 

When he drives home, he blasts the radio loud enough to mix up all the swirling thoughts in his brain. Drives past the woods where Will was last seen and turns up the music. 

_ Should I stay or should I go now? _

_ Should I stay or should I go now? _

_ If I go, there will be trouble _

_ And if I stay it will be double _

_ So come on and let me know _

The phone calls start coming a few days later and his mom can’t handle it because _ it’s _ Will, _ Jonathan, baby, please listen to me, he’s trying to _ talk _ to me. _

First it’s the phone calls, then the lamps, and then the Christmas lights all over his house. The writing on the walls. 

Jonathan’s mom is losing it. 

_ He talked to me, Jonathan, he talked to me... through the lights, baby, please, I swear! _

And then Will’s dead. 

_ My brother is dead _is something Jonathan never thought he’d have to say. 

But things are changing like that, and his brother is dead. 

_ No, he’s not, Jonathan, please, honey, I talked to him, he’s alive, I promise, he’s alive! _

Jonathan has never seen a dead body. 

Dead bodies are for TV shows and movies. You’re not supposed to see them in real life. 

But this _ is _ real life, and there _ is _ a dead body. 

And it’s Will’s. 

He’s so small. Small and skinny and weak and young. Too young to die. 

Jonathan can’t look at the body anymore. 

His throat is tight and it’s hard to breathe. His sweater is too itchy around his neck. If he looks at his brother’s body for any longer, he’s going to cry or puke or both.

He gets up and bolts before his mother can say a word. 

Because he is not strong. 

He cries. 

He isolates himself. 

He gets picked last for gym class. 

Because Jonathan Byers is a lot of things, but strong isn’t one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> All mistakes are my own, please let me know if you see any!
> 
> Kudos/Comments are greatly appreciated!


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